The author has a passion for many things with sports (specifically Nebraska football) being the biggest. This blog is mainly about sports related topics but will mix in other aspects of life when the spirit moves.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Raymond's dishonesty is disturbing

The fact that he is leaving in and of itself is not disturbing because coaches leave one job for another all the time. Raymond told the Lincoln Journal Star that telling Husker head coach Bo Pelini was “one of the toughest things” he’s had to do.

“Because he was so instrumental in my career,” Raymond said. “He played a big role in getting me to where I'm at now.”

Raymond going to LSU after one season at Nebraska is not a huge surprise because after all, it is his alma mater, having played there from 1988-1991 along with the fact that he was an intern on the staff from 2006-2007 when Pelini was LSU’s defensive coordinator.

Coaches are entitled to change jobs, just like we all are in the workforce. Raymond doesn’t owe Nebraska anything. However, what is especially bothersome about Raymond’s departure is the fact that the first time LSU reached out to him, he made these comments in the Omaha World Herald:

“I’m not going to take that job,” Raymond said. “I told (LSU) I wasn't going to come down there and do any interviews.”

“I like working with Bo,” Raymond said. “It’s like being at the Harvard of football.”

Now that is just pure comedy. What a clown. I’m not suggesting that people are not entitled to change their minds but you do not make public statements like that unless you are absolutely certain. If he were entertaining thoughts of going to LSU, a simple “no comment” would have been sufficient.

Most people would argue that the timing of Raymond’s departure is bad with spring practice on the horizon but

I don’t think timing is ever great coaching departures.

In Raymond’s only season in Lincoln, the Husker defensive backs had their ups and downs; however, he came into a pretty compromised situation. Raymond was taking over a position previously held by a popular coach in Marvin Sanders. He was also coaching a secondary that had lost three players from the prior season to the NFL.

Statistically, Nebraska finished a respectable 18th nationally in pass defense (192.2 yards per game) last season, though there were lapses by Husker defensive backs in losses to Wisconsin, Michigan and South Carolina. Nebraska ranked 34th in pass-efficiency defense.

While Raymond’s coaching drew ample criticism (some warranted), he is highly regarded as a recruiter. Like most Husker fans, I long for the days when Tom Osborne’s assistants stayed in place for 20 years but the stark reality is that those days are long gone and even when Nebraska enjoyed that luxury it was the last of a dying breed.

However, some Husker fans who are screaming for loyalty are also being slightly hypocritical. I think

it’s humorous when fans scream for and demand loyalty from the coaches or even players, but one bad or not so great year and they're ready to throw them out and find the next best thing.

However, I have a huge problem with is his lie. If he was interested, he should have just kept his trap shut. I don't begrudge him for going, but the way that he did so is dishonest to put it mildly.